Harper Lee, author of Pulitzer prize-winning “To Kill a Mockingbird,” announced that she would publish a sequel this year, 55 years after the original release of her first and only book.
Already number one on the Amazon book list, “Go Set A Watchman” is set to be released in July of this year, making it one of the most anticipated books.
The sequel was recently discovered by Lee’s lawyer, and was thought to be an original manuscript of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Additional examination revealed that it was Lee’s first book that was denied publishing.
“I think that it is really exciting after all these years to finally be releasing a sequel,” junior Allana Reames said, “It’s definitely a book I’ll be checking out this summer and hopefully a movie I’ll want to check out in theaters.”
“Go Set A Watchman” was written before “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Lee’s publisher at the time wanted her to write from Scout’s point of view as a child, leading Lee to write “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
According to Jacci Gantz, English professor at Oklahoma Christian University, Lee’s book continues to influence classrooms.
“I use the Atticus Finch’s courtroom summation in my classes still today as an example,” Gantz said. “You have to read between the lines because there is so much to discover about what’s really in [the novel], and when you do it’s pretty powerful.”
With more than 40 million worldwide copies sold, “To Kill a Mockingbird” is among the literary staples of American culture and many educational programs.
“To Kill a Mockingbird was a story that showed me exactly how powerful literature can be,” senior Jace Huser said. “The writings of one person can spark debate and change attitudes towards a particular issue and that really drew me to becoming an English major. … I’ve been able to read incredibly powerful stories from around the world, but To Kill a Mockingbird still remains one of my favorites novels.”
“Go Set a Watchman” details the life of Scout as a young woman returning from New York to her hometown in Alabama to take care of her father. The time difference from when she was a child to her place as an adult sets the character in the middle of the civil rights movement in the South, which raises some questions today about how the issues will be handled.
“I think it will be interesting to see how Harper Lee addresses racial issues since publishing ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’” Huser said. “The sequel is supposed to take place 20 years later, which puts it right around the time of the Civil Rights movement. Hopefully Lee’s sequel will be able to generate the same amount of discussion as ‘To Kill a Mockingbird did.’”
Some debate what the sequel might mean for current civil rights decisions and occurrences.
“I think each person just has to look within themselves, and they can’t just jump onto the media bandwagon,” Gantz said. “And that’s one of the things we learn in To Kill A Mockingbird. You know when Scout is standing on Boo’s porch and she says, ‘You know it looks the exact same from my porch’ – [it’s] kind of like a walk a mile in the other person’s shoes.”
The book will be available in stores and on e-reader on July 14, 2015.
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